Andhra HC seeks evidence on plea over phone tapping issue

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday directed the petitioner, who sought an inquiry into the allegations that the state government tried to tap phones of some judges, to file an affidavit in the matter with some evidence.

A bench of the High Court, while hearing a petition seeking an inquiry in the matter, ordered the state government, Central government and the service providers to file counter affidavits and slated the matter for further hearing on Thursday.

During the hearing, the petitioner's advocate submitted that he has reliable information that a senior IPS officer has been designated to track judges and added that he will file an affidavit naming the officer in the matter.

Additional Advocate General Ponnavolu Sudhakar Reddy and government pleader Sumon appeared on behalf of the state government.

They submitted that the PIL needs reliable source of information to be maintainable and claimed that the petitioner's source of information is not reliable in the present PIL.

"A newspaper article cited in the plea read as if a judge of the High Court had spoken to the media house about the tapping. We do not believe that a judge of the High Court would have spoken to a media house about their phones being tapped. So, this makes the article reported contemptuous," the state government submitted.

The state government also said that it has issued a defamation notice to the newspaper and is also taking steps to initiate further legal action against it.

"It was urged that the High Court make the media house a party as they need to come and answer as to where they got the information from and how they have written the article as if a judge has spoken to them," it submitted.

The High Court was hearing a plea, seeking an inquiry into allegations that the government had tried to tap the phones of some Andhra Pradesh High Court judges for political motives.

( With inputs from ANI )